Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI)

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) by 81.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,041 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,504 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Badger Meter were worth $2,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BMI. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Badger Meter by 1,016.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 201 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Badger Meter by 2,633.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 492 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Badger Meter by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 499 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Badger Meter by 40.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 575 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Badger Meter in the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.01% of the company’s stock.

Badger Meter Stock Performance

NYSE BMI opened at $221.00 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.84, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $215.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.06. Badger Meter, Inc. has a 52 week low of $139.50 and a 52 week high of $230.76.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.03). Badger Meter had a net margin of 14.80% and a return on equity of 21.56%. The firm had revenue of $208.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Badger Meter, Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Badger Meter Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Badger Meter’s payout ratio is presently 33.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Maxim Group upped their target price on shares of Badger Meter from $216.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $189.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com lowered Badger Meter from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Badger Meter from $184.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Badger Meter presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.75.

Badger Meter Company Profile

Badger Meter, Inc manufactures and markets flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions worldwide. It offers mechanical or static water meters, and related radio and software technologies and services to municipal water utilities market. The company also provides flow instrumentation products, including meters, valves, and other sensing instruments to measure and control fluids going through a pipe or pipeline, including water, air, steam, and other liquids and gases to original equipment manufacturers as the primary flow measurement device within a product or system, as well as through manufacturers' representatives.